1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for operating an AT Attachment Packet Interface (ATAPI) drive, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for indicating a connection state of an input/output cable between an ATAPI drive and a host.
2. Description of the Related Art
ATAPI drives refer to optical storage devices, such as digital versatile disc (DVD)_read only memory (ROM) drives, CD-ROM drives, CD-RW, CD-R, and tape backup drives that communicate with a computer using an ATAPI protocol. Since the ATAPI drives communicate with the computer using drivers, the drivers must be registered in memory in advance when an operating system (OS) is booted. Therefore, unlike hard discs, the ATAPI drives can communicate with the computer only if the driver is properly loaded in that case.
A technique for communications between such an ATAPI drive and a computer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,107.
An ATAPI drive transmits and receives signals with a computer via an input/output (I/O) cable. Even when the ATAPI drive does not receive a command from the computer, the ATAPI drive can operate by applied power. Most ATAPI drives are installed in computers, and can appear operable due to a user mistake or for other reasons even when an I/O cable is not connected properly. In this case, the user cannot access the ATAPI drives. Accordingly, it is difficult to check why the ATAPI drives do not work. Even when the user suspects that the I/O cable is not connected properly, the user cannot find out the exact cause of the abnormality of the ATAPI drives without disassembling the computer.